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[TV] Game of Thrones, presented by HBO - NO BOOK DISCUSSION.
Organichu
poopspeesRegistered User regular
poopspeesRegistered User regular
So, this dude...
...George R.R. Martin, wrote a so-far unfinished series of books called A Song of Ice and Fire. We have a thread meant for discussion of those books; it is located here.
This thread's purpose is to discuss, in alternating turns, the cinematography, direction, and writing of the show- and the sexual attractiveness of its major characters. We'll be using spoilers for pretty much every sensitive piece of information. This doesn't just mean 'John kills Jane'. If you consider it 'allusive', but not explicit, still spoiler it. This includes 'John really made me hate him after what he did this episode'. Clearly label your spoilers- either 'episode 2 thoughts' or 'John's character' or so on. Please be considerate, and recognize that your minor inconvenience encompasses one click, versus ruining someone's enjoyment of the show.
So...........
HBO is adapting this show. The expected plan is one season per book- meaning this season will roughly cover the book it corresponds to in the series (the first, Game of Thrones). It is still unclear whether the second season will exactly match the second book, and whether consistent branding will change the name, etc.
New episodes are Sunday evenings on HBO!
...George R.R. Martin, wrote a so-far unfinished series of books called A Song of Ice and Fire. We have a thread meant for discussion of those books; it is located here.
This thread is separate and apart from that thread.
This thread's purpose is to discuss, in alternating turns, the cinematography, direction, and writing of the show- and the sexual attractiveness of its major characters. We'll be using spoilers for pretty much every sensitive piece of information. This doesn't just mean 'John kills Jane'. If you consider it 'allusive', but not explicit, still spoiler it. This includes 'John really made me hate him after what he did this episode'. Clearly label your spoilers- either 'episode 2 thoughts' or 'John's character' or so on. Please be considerate, and recognize that your minor inconvenience encompasses one click, versus ruining someone's enjoyment of the show.
So...........
HBO is adapting this show. The expected plan is one season per book- meaning this season will roughly cover the book it corresponds to in the series (the first, Game of Thrones). It is still unclear whether the second season will exactly match the second book, and whether consistent branding will change the name, etc.
New episodes are Sunday evenings on HBO!
Organichu on
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Having started reading the series in 2008, this is the first newly released material I've had the chance to experience...
So far, I think they're doing a great job with the show on its own merits, but it's definitely a different experience without the characters' inner monologues.
I think they are handling the lack of said monologues rather well, so far. I think it's going to get vastly more difficult the further into it we get. I still hated the Cersei/Cat dialogue.
She said the show puts way too much assumption that you've already read the books and it's confusing and that all these things that have to be explained to her should be explained in the show and not be explained by me.
Just wondering if she just has poor taste or if this is the general consensus.
In the (now) Book thread, a couple of people have mentioned that their friends/loved ones/man servants are watching not having read the books and following well enough.
Also, if you're watching it with someone who hasn't read the books, you should probably resist the temptation to elaborate on things not given screen time. It's probably hard.... I'm watching it with someone who has read the books, so I don't know.
I tend to (enjoy) spoiling stories/shows for myself before watching them, but I have restrained myself somewhat where this series is concerned. So far it all sounds pretty good.
That's not really my point though. Also I kind of resent that blanket statement because I'm perfectly adequate in the intelligence field and find the books hard to follow, even though I enjoy them.
Her complaint isnt that the plotting is complex or hard to follow, her complaint is that there are disconnected scenes and things that seem to assume prior knowledge.
I tend to agree with her to some degree, though since I've read them, it really isn't doing anything to damage my opinion of the show.
Much like Lord of the Rings, GoT isn't really an enclosed story, but rather a part of the story A Song of Fire and Ice (or whatever the word order of that title is).
Without spoiling, obviously, episode 2 made me realize that the entirety of this season is really just one big long introduction to the world and the characters and their increasingly complicated relationships.
I think if the show needs to improve in one area, it is the editing. Without the benefit of rotating narration, I think by and large I'm beginning to feel if I'm watching pieces of a movie a few scenes at a time. The narrative structure within each episode is pretty inconsistent, and thus far is only tied together by brief moments of Bran.
We are talking past each other.
I would suggest that being sensitive to different narrative tropes and filmic shorthands is required. I don't think the connection between scenes or where everything fits in is particularly opaque. Plus it's doing the live-action equivalent of most fantasy/sci-fi stories where a bunch of stuff happens in the periphery/background that is basically a way to make the world seem different and begin to introduce the culture/world in question.
that is my opinion on this show
Yeah, I am sure things will lighten up a bit exposition wise once we get to a nice part. Even so, this past episode felt very very narratively clunky. Like, if you asked me to do a summary of the plot of this episode, I really couldn't do it without just going down every character and listing what happens with them. Even heavily serialized shows tend to have smaller self-contained stories during the course of the single episode.
That is not to say that Thrones won't, it just hasn't yet.
Yeah, I get what you're saying. As someone above said, I guess she may have a better time if I resisted trying to extrapolate on things that they have yet to extrapolate on.
I just suppose that it has to be pretty daunting to get so many characters and situations thrown at you and simultaneously be trying to figure out what you are supposed to be retaining and what is jut world-building.
I remember feeling that way about Game of Thrones the book at first, so maybe the show will have a similar learning curve.
I've pictured Robert as a fat bearded Ray Stevenson (Titus from Rome), I hope who ever is cast in the role for the series looks similar.
i wouldn't say it feels chunky in general- i will say it feels a little disembodied, or lacking in episodic consistency.
re: episodes 1 and 2
i feel lik eps 1 and 2 would work well as a 2 hour mega episode, but i am sympathetic to the complaints of series newcomers that the continuity is only weakly maintained across the installments.
Mark Addy?
Am I missing something here?
The Plain and Honest Truth - An online serial novel about 9/11, the Iraq War, aliens, the origins of Western religion and an evil sock puppet from another dimension
It generally takes more than two episodes to get settled into something that has this much breadth.
you could level a similar criticism at Treme and to a lesser extent, the The Wire. but those are still very good shows. Treme in particular has an ensemble cast and describing each episode would be difficult, but it still works. It's just how an ensemble show works.
I haven't watched Treme, but as far as the Wire is concerned, you still had some narrative through-line that carried episodes from start to finish, even with a large ensemble.
"Kima watches the Towers with Herc and Carver" "Mcnulty deals with the fallout from last episode's shenanigans" "D starts to suspect something is up". Though you have great character moments and side-stories happening organically during these, they still are very straight-forward story beats that move things along.
Again, I'm not damning GoT as it is only two episodes in. I am just saying I feel like the two episodes have felt very meandering to me. I understand the need to move the action along, but perhaps the show would benefit from trying to find a way to focus on a few particular characters an episode. Trying to juggle so many characters per episode seems like it is only going to lead to watered down development in the end.
I've been enjoying it so far, as have my friends who haven't read the books, so I'm quietly confident.
Also thread needs more of this:
Also, best opening credits ever amirite?
In any case, they seem to have succeeded in making Cersei appropriately bitchy. Seriously, fuck that lady. I suppose she was raised that way, and circumstances have led to her thinking she had to act that way, but still. She is terrible.
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But my one problem so far is the Dothraki and their happy ethnic mix of "all the brown people". I know this has been commented on before, but seriously what were they thinking?
That bit was great. I didn't really find much of interest in the rest, but apparently it's just scene setting so I'll give it another episode at least. My girlfriend may have tapped out already though.
yeah the Dothraki don't seem big on like
racial purity
they're a culture more than an ethnic group
i mean shit look at the woman the Khal chose as a wife
i'm quite sure it crossed his mind she could produce pale little blond babies
and he was like
"whatever"
so
This is silly to me, there are going to be additions and subtractions. Adaptations between media are never 1:1 because something that works in a book dosen't always work on screen and vice versa.
My favorite scene in episode 2 was the Jaime/Jon scene and despite the fact that it was also a new scene not from the books, there was so much subtext going on in that conversation for people who have read them that I was blown away.
He's not at all what I pictured Tyrion to look like, but I think I like his version better.
My only sort of complaint is the lack of character names. I almost feel like whenever a new person appears on screen, they should have a name over their head. There's a bunch of people running around who have not been named in the show, but book readers know their names (Joffery's brother and sister come to mind).
And Ilyn Payne is not nearly as imposing as I pictured him. He should be taller or something. He just looked like a frumpy old man.
dude's already got some critical acclaim and awards under his belt, but he doesn't have a lot of mainstream recognition for his work and skill